The Santa Clarita Valley Food Pantry is gearing up to provide hundreds of turkeys to local families for the upcoming holiday season. However, the pantry recently broke a record for the number of families served in a single day, highlighting the growing need for year-round support.
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"We had 90 families show up in one day to get food. That is the largest number we've served. The need is very large right now," Joanne Gervais Ainsworth, a representative from the pantry, told KNX News' Nataly Tavidian.
Ainsworth explained that the pantry serves approximately 7,000 individuals each month and registers around ten families daily. As Santa Clarita continues to grow, so too does the demand for food assistance.
"Santa Clarita is a growing community. It's bloomed in the last 3 to 5 years, with about 300,000 growing residents, and so we're seeing that growth in population in a real way every day," said Ainsworth.
KNX News
Despite the influx of holiday donations, the pantry has had to implement a waitlist for turkeys and chickens due to overwhelming demand.
While grateful for the generosity of donors during the holiday season, Ainsworth emphasizes the ongoing need for food assistance throughout the year. The pantry is currently working on launching new monthly donation programs to sustain its operations and continue supporting the community.
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